


You've Got That Power Over Me

by stevetonyedits



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Embedded Video, Fanvids, Getting Together, M/M, POV Steve Rogers, Past Tony Stark/Tiberius Stone, Pining, Prompt Fic, Protective Steve Rogers, Stalking, Steve Rogers-centric, Video
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevetonyedits/pseuds/stevetonyedits
Summary: “Pull it together, Stark,” Tony muttered to himself.Steve’s chest ached at the sound of Tony’s voice. God, he missed him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in his arms and see if they could—no. YOU pull it together, Rogers. You’re here to help Tony, not yourself. Eyes up, soldier.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 133
Collections: Stony Loves Steve 2020





	You've Got That Power Over Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alexcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/gifts).



> Prompt: Nomad Steve can't stay away from Tony and begins to watch him secretly when he's not out saving the world with Sam and Nat. Something bad happens to Tony and Steve rescues him. They rekindle their love or just realize they are in love.
> 
> This is my first ever fanfic and it would not have been possible without some very lovely people. Fic written to accompany the fanvideo.
> 
> I giant thank you to [aisu_hawk](link%20to%20ao3) and [ircnshield](link%20to%20ao3) for being the absolute best betas!
> 
> Shoutout to [starksnack](link%20to%20ao3) and [avengersandco](link%20to%20ao3) for cheer reading.

* * *

Steve couldn’t stay away. He knew it was so stupid, that _he_ was stupid, but Tony had always been like a magnet pulling him into his orbit. And to suddenly get knocked out of that rotation threw him off-balance. He knew he wasn’t wanted. That he had absolutely no business, and no place anywhere near Tony anymore.

But Steve had never had any qualms about doing what he needed for the people most important to him. ‘Be gay, do crime’ as the kids say these days. Steve invented that shit. Laws were never anything more than a suggestion to him, so why should being an international war criminal stop him from doing what he needed to do? Well, what he _wanted_ to do. It made no difference, really, there was no line between what he wanted and needed anymore. It was all the same, especially when it came to Tony.

He knew that Tony had been keeping tabs on him. Well, on his team, at least. Steve was sure that keeping eyes on him was just a byproduct of making sure that the others were safe. Which is why he was fairly confident in his ability to evade Tony’s surveillance in order to, well... surveil Tony.

Tony was not the only person with eyes everywhere. For a man on the run, Steve still had a lot of connections in the right places. Which is how he found out that Tony was sort of missing. Well... missing was probably the wrong word because Tony was pretty much always exactly where he intends to be. But, no one seemed to _know_ where he was. He hadn’t been at either SI location for almost a week, there had been no press conferences, not a single paparazzi photo, and most tellingly, there had been no Iron Man sightings.

Steve got a tip that someone with a strong resemblance to Tony Stark had been spotted in a suburb a couple of hours east of the city. Before Steve’s contact had even finished his sentence, he was running to his car.

* * *

Steve sat parked outside of a nondescript hardware store staring at the entrance with a single-minded focus like it held the solution to all of his problems. In a way, it did—because Tony was inside of it. He hadn’t seen Tony in the flesh since...

Steve shook his head to stop that train of thought before it could go any further.

His heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest as he cautiously walked into the shop. If he didn’t know any better he would have thought he was about to have an asthma attack, his breath was coming up short and he was starting to feel like he was breathing in through a cocktail straw.

His eyes landed on a familiar figure and he felt his world come to a screeching halt. Tony had on his signature sunglasses with a hoodie pulled up over a baseball cap. He took a swig of an energy drink and Steve casually turned in the opposite direction as Tony came around the corner at the end of the aisle.

Steve continued on in the same manner as Tony made his way about the store. Staying just out of Tony’s line of sight, but always within Steve’s gaze. He had a feeling while watching Tony add items to his shopping cart that something wasn’t right. It’s not like he didn’t already know that to be the case—but seeing Tony in this random-ass town, intentionally trying to obscure his identity, and haphazardly throwing items, seemingly at random, into a now overflowing cart... made it very clear that something was off in this situation.

Tony’s whole demeanor screamed ‘don’t look at me’. He also seemed a little frazzled, but not in the ‘I’ve been up for 48 hours in the workshop’ kind of way. Steve had never seen Tony look like this. He looked... scared?

Steve must have gotten lost in thought about Tony—not an uncommon occurrence—and taken his eyes off of the other man for just a bit too long, because he heard an audible gasp and a clang as something metal hit the cement floor.

“Fuck,” he heard Tony curse softly.

Holding his breath, Steve kept walking, making sure to keep his movements as calm and relaxed as possible so as not to arouse any suspicion.

“Pull it together, Stark,” Tony muttered to himself.

Steve’s chest ached at the sound of Tony’s voice. God, he missed him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in his arms and see if they could—no. _YOU pull it together, Rogers. You’re here to help Tony, not yourself. Eyes up, soldier._

Tony hadn’t made any sounds of movement, so Steve seized the opportunity to sneak down the back of an aisle and towards the exit. He couldn’t bring himself to get back in his car just yet. The feeling of being even that close to Tony was indescribably electric. He exited the shop and casually leaned against the exterior window. He pulled his Stark phone out of his pocket and thumbed open the camera app. Holding the phone up like he was on a video call he could clearly see Tony at the checkout counter, God bless whoever invented front-facing cameras.

Tony’s eyes flitted up and looked directly into his camera lens.

“Fuck,” Steve breathed out as he fumbled his phone back into his pocket and hastily retreated to his car. _That was unbelievably stupid_ , he thought to himself, _what were you even thinking?_ That was the problem, he wasn’t thinking. Tony had that effect on him, he seemed to creep into every corner of his mind until there was no space left for rational thought.

Steve tried to collect himself as he leaned back in the driver's seat, a hand on the steering wheel. Tony came flying out of the hardware store, his arms absolutely full of shopping bags. It would look almost comical if it weren’t for the haunted look on Tony’s face.

Tony haphazardly threw the bags into the trunk and looked around with wild eyes. Was Steve the reason Tony looked like a deer caught in headlights? It was so unnerving to see him looking this uneasy, and the thought of it being his fault made Steve’s stomach sink.

The tires squealed as Tony floored it down the road. Steve waited until he was almost out of his sight before pulling out and following from a safe distance. If Tony had already seen Steve there’s no way he wouldn’t notice him tailing him. God damnit, so much for being stealth. Right as Steve took a turn to keep following Tony, a car cut him off. He just sat in silence, with a hand hovering over the car horn. He didn’t want to draw Tony’s attention to him and make the risk of him being spotted any higher than it might have already been.

The sun had started to set, and Steve’s thoughts wandered as he tailed Tony from a, hopefully, safe distance. After several odd turns and changes in course, Steve noticed that the car that had cut him off was still in front of him. That was... weird. Alarming, actually. There was no way that someone could have followed Tony in this strange trajectory, for almost half an hour and not be up to something.

This car was also tailing Tony. What the fuck was happening? Steve shoved his earpiece in and tapped twice.

“Nat,” he said soundly.

The phone didn’t even fully ring once before he got an answer.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite wayward son,” Nat said in her fond droll.

“Nat, this is bad.”

“Well, normally when you go off of the undercover map, so to speak, without so much as a word to your fellow criminals in arms—”

“Someone is following Tony.”

“Steve, why are you referring to yourself in the third person?”

“Nat! I’m not—okay yes, I am following Tony, but someone ELSE is also following him.”

“Oh. Shit. Do you know who it is?”

“No, I was kind of hoping you guys could do a little research.”

“‘Us guys’, huh?”

“Nat, for fuck's sake could you please—”

“Sure, sure, sorry—it’s just too easy.”

“Thank you.”

“Steve,” Nat said, softer and more serious.

“Nat, I can’t—you didn’t see him. This person has to be after him and Tony knows it. If you had seen him, he looked—God, I can’t let anything happen to him,” Steve said full of raw emotion that he rarely verbalized.

“Steve, Tony will be fine. He has you. More importantly, you have him.”

“I don’t have h—”

“Steven Grant Rogers if you even think about finishing that idiotic sentence I will use you as a target for my very shiny knife collection.”

Steve breathed out a long sigh and felt one corner of his mouth tug up a little.

“Yes ma’am.”

It was almost pitch black outside now, the sun having long since dipped beneath the horizon. Steve was just about to organize his thoughts when he saw Tony drive onto the shoulder of the road and come to a very abrupt stop. The car in front of him drove past Tony but came to a stop not too far ahead. Steve followed after them and slammed on his brakes, jumping out of the car into a full run to get to the mystery driver before they could get anywhere near Tony.

Apparently realizing their chances of getting to Tony were now nonexistent the other car peeled off with a loud screech, leaving the smell of rubber behind. Steve looked over to Tony, who was sitting up against his driver's side door on the ground clutching his chest. He was having a panic attack, no wonder he pulled over. Steve was about to walk closer, the consequences be damned, when Tony pulled himself back to his feet. He leaned against the car, still breathing heavily, but Steve could tell that it was evening out after a few breaths.

Steve started to turn back towards his car when Tony tilted his head ever so slightly in his direction. Like a moth to a flame, Steve pivoted to face him. He didn’t know what he expected to happen, or even what he’d wanted to happen next, but it definitely wasn’t Tony nodding to himself, eyes cast downward as he got back into his own car and drove away.

His earpiece chirped and he pressed a shaking hand to it for the incoming message.

“Nat?”

“Tiberius Stone.”

“What—”

“The person stalking Tony. His name is Tiberius Stone, they were childhood friends.”

Steve swallowed hard, mouth turning into a grimace. “I know who he is.”

“Steve?”

Steve threw himself back into the driver's seat of his car and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Nat, this is much worse than I thought.”

“I don’t know much about the guy, but I do know that he did a number on Tony. It’s a good thing you’re there, Steve.”

“I feel like I’m making things worse.”

“Are you really going to make me leave Wakanda to kick your perky ass? Could you stop being melodramatic for five seconds, not everything is your fault.”

“You didn’t see him, he looked terrified. I just watched him have a panic attack, I can’t—”

Nat groaned, “Do you think maybe either of those things had something to do with the very manipulative ex he has stalking him?”

“...maybe,” Steve hedged.

“You are so bull-headed.”

“Takes one to know one. Do we have any information on why Stone is doing this? Other than being a grade-A creep?”

“I’m sending you encrypted files now. Do not sleuth and drive, Rogers. I have eyes everywhere.”

Steve let out a half-hearted chuckle, “Okay, I’m driving back to my place now. I’ll dive into them all when I get there. But I’m not agreeing to drive the speed limit.”

“I’d never dream of it. Steve, just be there for him. I know you’re itching to dive headfirst into this and fix it with your bare hands, but the best thing you can do is just let him know you’re there for him.”

“I don’t know why he’d want that.”

“He does.”

“I’ve gotta focus on the road, I’ll touch base when I can.”

Steve hung up before Nat could put any more crazy ideas into his head. He felt the long-forgotten feeling of hope start to bloom in his chest, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted by his feelings. Tony was in trouble. He could absolutely take care of himself, there was no question that he could do this without Steve here. But, he shouldn’t have to. Especially not with everything Tony had been through with this asshole.

* * *

Tony had invited Steve as his plus one to rub elbows at a fundraising gala last year. He remembered how radiant Tony had looked in his couture suit, eyes sparkling with mirth as they snuck glances at each other throughout particularly boring conversations.

All in all, the night was going well for the song-and-pony show that it was, which Steve normally hated. They had been grabbing some more hors d'oeuvres when Tony froze mid-sentence, the color draining from his face.

“Well, well, if it isn’t America’s favorite war profiteer,” a low sneering voice said from behind Steve.

“Mr. Stone, to what do I owe this displeasure,” Tony practically growled.

“Tsk tsk Tony, dear. You wouldn’t want to show your true colors in front of your wholesome slice of apple pie here. He might wise up and join a super spangled team without seas of blood on their hands.”

Tony narrowed his eyes and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Steve could see the signs of the beginning of a panic attack and acted as quickly as he could without drawing attention to Tony.

“Mr. Stone, was it?” Steve said cooly.

“Call me Ty, handsome. It’s nice to finally meet the paradigm in all of his glorious flesh,” Stone held his hand out to Steve.

Steve pointedly ignored the hand and put an arm around Tony’s waist.

“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same. If you’ll excuse us, I need to give my favorite philanthropist a helping hand, if you know what I mean, away from the trash. Have an awful evening!”

Stone’s jaw dropped open as Steve turned with Tony still under his arm. He walked them into the closest empty room and locked the door behind them. As soon as he flicked the lock he sat Tony down on a chair and took a couple of steps away but made sure to keep Tony within his line of vision.

Tony’s breathing was becoming erratic and he was clutching his chest where the reactor used to be. He looked up at Steve with panicked eyes and stuttered, “Don’t... don’t leave me,” and cast his eyes back down to the hardwood floor.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Steve said softly, “I’m right here, Tony. Hey, look at me. You’re safe. You’re in New York City, at the Met Gala. I’m here with you as your plus one because you have excellent taste in friends. We’re sitting in a room with really gaudy furnishings, like truly unnecessary levels of rich people stuff. I locked the door behind us and no one is going to get in here. No one is going to hurt you. I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

Tony nodded at him shakily as his breathing evened out.

“Good, that’s great Tony. Just keep listening to my voice and focus on your breathing. In through your nose, great now hold your breath for one, two, three. Now relax your face and breathe out slowly through pursed lips.”

After a couple of rounds of focused breathing and Steve’s continued encouragement and reassurance of Tony’s safety Tony asked, “How did you get so good at this?”

“You.”

“What?”

“Do you even know how many panic attacks you’ve talked me down from? I learned from the best.”

“That sounds like me. I am the best.”

“There’s my man. Are you feeling okay enough for me to touch you, I mean. I can hold your hands, I um. I know that always helps ground me when I go through these. But of course, it’s different for everyone so I’ll just sit here and—”

“Would you shut up and come hold my hand?”

Steve pulled a seat up to sit directly in front of Tony and grabbed both of his hands, holding them firmly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t uh. It’s, uh... I don’t want to dump my emotional baggage on you. This is good, this is helping.”

“Tony, who was that jackass?”

Tony let out a bitter laugh, “That was Tiberius Stone, we grew up together. Well... in the way that rich privileged kids can grow up together I guess. We um, we dated. We were in boarding school and I. Um, but I was always ahead of him by a couple of grades so it was my senior year but I was only fourteen. Ty was seventeen and I thought that was super cool at the time.”

Steve squeezed his hands harder.

“Anyway, I don’t want to go into too much detail here. But it was really really bad, Steve. He was manipulative, and verbally abusive, and he gaslit the hell out of me in every imaginable way. I tried to break up with him a couple of times and each time he convinced me that no one else would ever want me and that my life would be hell without him. God, I was so dumb.”

“Tony, you were fourteen years old, and none of that was your fault.”

“I know, I know that. I just get so mad at myself, at him. Seeing him just makes me feel like I’m that stupid kid again... like I’m small and worthless. He knows how to get under my skin almost as well as my father did, really. He knows which scabs to pick to cause the most damage. And even though I know all of this logically, I still can’t control my reaction and I fucking hate this.”

“You know this is a PTSD response to trauma, right?”

“I… I guess you’re right? I’ve never thought about it like that.”

“Of course I’m right, I’m always right.”

Tony fought back a smile and tilted his head looking into Steve’s eyes, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for being right, it comes naturally. I can’t help it really.”

Tony kicked his shin and laughed, “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Steve said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“No,” Tony smiled for real this time, “I don’t.”

* * *

Steve flung open his laptop as soon as he got home, determined to get through all of the information that Nat had sent him. He decrypted the attachment and started reading. Stone had been trying to get his hands on some of Tony’s proprietary tech to use at his company, Viastone. Typical that no one wanted to do their own work and as usual, decided to cheat off of the smartest kid in class.

There was no doubt in his mind that Tony would have handled this through different means if it were anyone else. It was all starting to make sense now, Stone was the missing puzzle piece. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Tony’s actions and reactions had all been because of Stone, not because of him. Nat was right, once again.

Stone was purposefully using Tony’s trauma as a weapon against him to gain access to his intellectual property and Tony smartly removed himself from all of his tech. Not that it had stopped Stone from continuing his predatory plan of stalking Tony to try and break him down.

But, if he knew Tony—and he did—there was no tech with him right now, not even the armor. He left it all locked up safe and sound at SI and his workshops, which were impenetrable and inaccessible without his biometric access codes.

Steve smiled to himself. He loved how fucking smart Tony was, and even though he had this completely under control without Steve, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t help.

* * *

Steve woke up from a nightmare for the umpteenth night in a row. He wondered if Tony still had nightmares, wondered if he had become the subject of them at some point. Shaking his head to himself, he walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face to try and help clear his head.

There was no use in trying to get back to sleep at that point. It was just as well, he could use the time to continue his research into Tony’s stalker.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Steve opened his laptop and continued to sift through the files that Nat had sent him. Again. He’d only been through them about a dozen times before he got a whopping two hours of sleep. Tiberius Stone... This guy had been stalking Tony for about a month, and of course, he’d told no one. Tony always threw himself on the proverbial, or sometimes actual, wire with no regard for himself in order to protect everyone else. Which was only one of the reasons that Steve was drawn to him in the first place.

The laptop screen jolted and suddenly Steve couldn’t use the mouse or keyboard. He watched as the contents of his own device were being sifted through and had a moment of panic before he realized… it’s Tony. It has to be him.

So, had Tony known that it was him earlier and was trying to see what he was up to? What could Steve possibly have been doing other than trying to help?

The shuffling of the files on Stone stopped, and just when Steve thought he had control of the laptop again, more files started to cycle on the screen.

Shit. Motherfucking shit. Tony was going to see all of the files Steve had on him. What was he going to think when he realized that Steve had been keeping close tabs on him this whole time? Steve rubbed his hands over his face and waited for some sort of retribution to befall him. Or for the ground to open up and just swallow him. When the file rummaging came to a halt again, however, nothing happened.

Steve stared at the screen for a moment in disbelief. Then suddenly a Vulcan salute overtook the screen. Steve looked at the emoji and let his head fall back in relief.

Tony knew everything. Well, everything that could be ascertained from the computer files. And while there weren’t any diary entries, the context and burdened meaning of his tabs on Tony spoke more than they really had any right to.

He could keep tailing Tony, with the man’s knowledge and blessing. Which was kind of incredible? What do you know, maybe Nat was a little bit right. Steve fell asleep and dreamt of holding Tony safely in his arms.

* * *

Steve walked down a street close to the center of town. He was less than a block behind Tony which would be reckless if he was trying to remain unseen. But, he didn’t need to do that anymore. Tony periodically would glance behind him, like he was trying to make _sure_ that Steve was still there.

Tony’s whole demeanor had changed since the previous night. He no longer seemed like he was trying to hide and make himself small. He was walking with confidence in his step and the fear in his eyes had disappeared, which Steve could see clearly because Tony wasn’t even wearing sunglasses today.

Steve’s mind snapped back to attention when his eyes caught sight of Stone. His stride quickened as he tried to shorten the distance between himself and Tony and make his presence known and felt. He could feel Stone’s eyes on him as their paths crossed. Steve turned his head and gave him a penetrating look that screamed ‘try me’. Stone’s steps faltered as his eyes met Steve’s, he tore his gaze away, and quickly turned to walk in the opposite direction.

* * *

This pattern continued for a couple of days. Steve would drive into town and park on a residential street. He’d spot Tony sitting on the front steps of the building he seemed to be staying at and then he’d throw a very short glance at Steve before he started walking.

After the second day of this Steve had called Nat in frustration.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing for him.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“I’m sorry? I’m a what?”

“Steve, you’re doing exactly what he needs you to. You’re being there for him, that’s all you have to do. Stop trying to fix everything for once in your life.”

Steve exhales slowly, frustrated with himself.

“Okay.”

“Good boy. Now, get some sleep so you can stay sharp for your man tomorrow.”

The line went dead before he could argue that Tony wasn’t his in any way. No matter how much he wanted him to be.

* * *

On the third day, Steve’s phone dinged with a file from Nat. _Oh, Mr. Stone, you have been a naughty boy._ He thought through his options for a minute before ultimately deciding to print it out and put it inside of an envelope.

He wrote _‘For your enjoyment: a smoking gun’_ in curly script on the front and grabbed his jacket before heading out.

Steve showed up a couple of minutes earlier than usual, with a cup of black coffee in one hand and the envelope in the other. He placed the envelope underneath the cup on Tony’s front steps and walked back several paces, waiting.

When Tony appeared at his front door, he stopped when he saw something on the porch and immediately whipped his head up in Steve’s direction. Steve smiled nervously and nodded towards the items.

Tony stepped down and sat in his usual spot on the steps, and took a sip of the coffee. His eyes closed and he smiled before opening them back up to look at the envelope. His eyes scanned the words on the front and one side of his mouth ticked up in amusement. He tore the envelope open and read the document inside, his eyes growing wider and wider.

Steve waited for Tony’s eyes to flick back his way for some sort of direction about the next steps. When he finally looked back at Steve he just nodded once and started walking like every morning before. This time he glanced back at Steve and motioned for him to wait, so he does. Tony kept walking and when he was finally almost out of Steve’s line of sight he finally stopped, glanced his eyes back for the briefest of moments, and signaled him with a thumbs up.

Okay, so the plan was to remain out of sight. Steve understood immediately what Tony’s intentions were, attuned to him just like when they were out on a mission. The familiar feeling of unspoken synchronicity sent a thrill down his spine.

Tony was taking a much different course today. Instead of staying on the streets just on the outskirts of the center of town, he headed straight for the center. Stone ducked out from one of the shops on the road and looked around for Steve. Even though he was a couple of blocks back he still stopped and bent down to ‘tie his shoes’. With one last look behind him, Stone started following Tony, and Steve shot up to follow suit. As Tony passed one of the city hall buildings, he stretched his arms up above him like he was stretching his back and brought his left arm down while keeping his right up for another second before returning them both to his sides.

Steve watched Tony turn left at the corner of the block with Stone in pursuit. As soon as they were out of his sight he followed Tony’s directions and went into the door on his left through the office building’s back entrance. Once he was inside he started running to find a corner to hide behind and ambush Stone.

Steve tucked himself flush behind a corner and willed his breath to return to normal as he waited. A moment later Tony came around the corner bounding into a run with a cursory nod at Steve. Stone began to run having heard Tony’s footsteps speed up, but as soon as he rounded the corner Steve grabbed him by the collar of his suit and spun him around. Once he had both hands on Stone’s suit jacket he slammed him against the wall and said with every ounce of disdain he could muster, “I know what you did.”

Stone laughed, “Oh America’s Next Top Fugitive is up on a moral high horse? You know I do find it really pathetic that you are still trying to crawl back into Tony’s good graces after your very messy, very public, international divorce.”

Steve gave him a bored, and unamused look, “This isn’t about me. It’s about you, your lack of intelligence and originality, your money laundering, oh and let’s not forget my favorite, drug trafficking.”

“How do you know about that?” Stone bit out as his demeanor changed from smugness to bitter anger.

“I’ve got some friends in low places. And they don’t seem very fond of you. But then again, I can’t imagine any living, breathing human that would be.”

“You don’t have any proof,” Stone laughed right as Tony stepped up beside Steve and held up the document.

“Actually,” Tony said, “he does.” He folded the paper up and put it in Stone’s breast pocket. Then he turned and smiled at Steve, who was still holding Stone against the wall. “Why don’t you keep this, in case you’re fuzzy on any of the details regarding your numerous first-degree felonies. Toodaloo!” Tony waved and stepped away with a satisfied look on his face.

Steve let go of Stone’s suit jacket and stepped back, but as soon as the other man turned to walk in the same direction Tony was, Steve rounded on him. He grabbed him by the wrist and pinned it behind his back shoving him face-first back into the wall.

“I’m only going to say this once, so listen closely,” Steve snarled. “You will not go to any of the same events that Tony attends. You will not so much as get froyo from the same place that he does. You will not go anywhere near his properties or whereabouts. If you ever so much as THINK about going anywhere near Tony again, I will hunt you down and make you disappear. You won’t be dead, but you might wish you were.”

Steve let go of Stone and moved to walk in the same direction as Tony and found him standing there wearing a look of shock at the end of the hallway. Steve gave him a nervous nod and Tony motioned for him to follow him out the way Steve had entered the building.

Once they were outside Steve fell into step beside Tony and walked him back to his front steps. Tony had a hand on his doorknob and turned around to face Steve.

A million emotions seemed to flicker over Tony’s face in the span of a few seconds and Steve just stood there, trying to interpret every thought going through the other man’s head.

Tony’s face finally landed on a small private smile that Steve tried to capture perfectly in his mind, so he could sketch it out and save it forever.

“Steve?”

“Yeah, Tony?”

“Thank you,” Tony hesitated but turned the doorknob and disappeared out of Steve’s sight.

Steve walked back to his car, content knowing that Tony was safe. But a bittersweet feeling settled under his skin as he thought about going back to his life without Tony.

* * *

Steve blearily reached his arm out for his phone, which was ringing for some ungodly reason before 7 a.m. Propping himself up on an elbow he looked at the caller ID and quickly scrambled to pickup.

“Hello?”

“Uh, hi.”

“Tony is everything o—”

“Yes, yes everything is fine. Great, actually. Well, maybe not just yet but I’m hoping it’s about to be.”

Steve pauses and takes a shuddering breath. He can’t believe that he’s actually talking to Tony.

“Okay, that’s... good?”

“Yeah, it’s. I can’t believe you did that for me. Actually, what am I saying, I absolutely can. You’d—you’d do this for anyone.”

Steve sat upright in the blink of an eye at that comment.

“Tony.”

“Steve, I’m sorry this was a mistake I really shouldn’t have bothered you—”

“Tony, would you shut up.”

“That’s what I’m currently trying to do, this is embarrassing I’m just going to—”

“I wouldn’t.”

“What?”

“I wouldn’t do this for anyone. You have to know—God, Tony how could you not know how I feel about you after everything you saw on my laptop?”

“I… I didn’t want to assume. That’s a bold-faced lie, I entirely wanted to and DID assume that you maybe, possibly, okay entirely, cared about me more than in a passing “living or dead” status. I just… Jesus, Steve you have no idea what you do to my head. To be fair, there’s a lot already banging around up in that nightmare, but you just. No one has ever made me second-guess everything as much as you do with a fleeting glance.”

“Okay, that made a modicum of sense to me, somehow. I have so much I want to say to you, to tell you. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Hold that thought.”

“Tony, I have to tell you how much you mean to me, I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Are you completely incapable of following a direct order? That’s a joke by the way because we both know that you absolutely have never followed a single goddamn order in your entire centenarian life.”

“Just let me say this, Tony I need you to know.”

“And I want to know. But I want to be able to yell at your dumb face in person if it’s not the things that I’m stupidly and wildly optimistically hoping to hear.”

“I thought you were a futurist, not an optimist.”

“You’re damn right, sweetheart. And I’ll be in your future the next time you open those pretty eyes.”

The call ended and Steve fell back against his pillows, probably wearing the world’s most dopey smile -but he didn’t give a single fuck. Tony was coming here, to his apartment, to talk to him. He didn’t know what to do with himself, he felt too excited to sleep but knew that if he didn’t he’d be running on less than 10 hours of sleep in the past week and that was too little, even for a supersoldier.

With a dreamy sigh, he turned onto his side and pulled his legs up close to his chest, holding his pillow close. He drifted into his first dreamless sleep since he came out of the ice.

* * *

Steve woke up a couple of hours later feeling more rested than he had in years. It was truly amazing the amount of weight he felt lifted off his shoulders with the power of a simple feeling: hope.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he padded his way to the shower to get ready. Once he’d made himself presentable he decided to keep himself busy by making breakfast. And if he just so happened to be making his famous captain crunch french toast with bacon, which happened to be Tony’s favorite, that was just a lucky coincidence.

He whisked the eggs and went through the motions of dredging the stale slices of brioche as his mind wandered to thoughts of Tony. Steve ground some fresh coffee and boiled water in his electric kettle. He knew there’d be hell to pay if there was no coffee when Tony got here.

The last pieces of french toast sizzled in the cast iron pan when his cell phone dinged the opening chimes of the Star Trek theme. Apparently Tony had hacked his phone to change his alert sound because, of course he did.

Steve stared down at his phone and smiled as he read _‘Be there in 5, be decent. Or you know, don’t. Live your best nudist life.’_

He hastily grabbed two plates and haphazardly arranged the toast and bacon on each. He could feel his pulse under his skin quickening as he ran upstairs to make sure he hadn’t stained his shirt. Yes, that was why, and absolutely not to check his hair and beard over one last time.

As he ran a nervous hand over his beard he heard something hit his bedroom window. Steve turned to look out the window to see Tony’s absolutely luminous smile and piercing gaze.

Tony mouthed “ _hi_ ” and his smile grew even wider as he continued to look up at Steve like they were the only two people in the world. Steve tried and failed to tamp down his growing smile. He smirked and nodded towards his front door and stared at Tony expectantly until he started walking towards it. After getting a good look at his favorite view, Steve raced back downstairs and distractedly put some napkins and silverware on the table with the food. He glanced over at the Chemex with a smile when he heard a very loud knock on his door.

The couple of steps to the front door had never seemed so far. He took a deep breath, turned the handle, and pulled it open to reveal a beautifully rumpled Tony. Closing the door behind him Steve watched as Tony put his takeout coffee on the counter and took his jacket off, still smiling. Steve nodded towards the Chemex and walked over to lean against the opening between the kitchen and the living room, looking Tony up and down.

“So you pulled out the fancy stuff, huh?”

“This isn’t fancy, this is how coffee should be made.”

“Oh, so you’re telling the Italian how coffee should be made. That’s adorable.”

Steve smirked despite himself, “Feel free to drink water instead.”

Tony sputtered, “Water? That hasn’t been filtered through pulverized beans? That is the most depraved thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, “Really. The _most_ depraved?”

Tony smiled with one corner of his mouth, the way that really really made Steve want to lean in and kiss it.

“So is this your attempt at wooing?” Tony motioned at the breakfast laid out on the table.

“That depends, is it working?”

Tony bit down a smile, “I don’t know, you have some ground to make up after my truly inspired Romeo and Juliet moment. But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Steve is America’s son.”

“You’re right, I should just scrap this tawdry attempt right now.”

Steve stepped towards the plates motioning to grab them and Tony leaped forward with cat-like speed as he grabbed Steve’s wrist.

“Don’t. You. Dare. I am a weary traveler, deprived of sleep, sustenance, and most importantly— _caffeine_.”

Steve made a pointed look at the coffee cup Tony had placed on the kitchen counter when he walked into the apartment, and then back up at Tony with a single raised eyebrow.

“Is that so? Well, what brings you to these parts?” Steve tipped his imaginary cowboy hat.

“Why, the best french toast in the tri-state area.”

“You’re damn right, now sit your pretty little self down and stuff something in that giant mouth of yours.”

“Why, I never,” Tony feigned offense with a hand to his forehead.

* * *

They finished breakfast in companionable silence. Well, not silence exactly, considering the absolutely obscene moans coming out of Tony’s mouth every time he took a bite of food which had Steve fighting his trigger blush response.

Tony grabbed both of their plates and carried them to the sink without letting Steve get a word of objection out. As soon as the dishes were placed in the sink Tony whirled around to Steve and grabbed his forearm, dragging him into the living room, only letting go to lie down on the adjacent lounger.

“Tony, I have to tell you that I am not a licensed therapist.”

“Yeah, but you are a certified smart-ass. I can’t believe you have the whole world buying into your _‘gee gosh, my golly’_ act when you are such a little shit. Well, not so little,” Tony added as his eyes roamed up and down Steve’s body and finally flicked back up to his eyes, “but most definitely a shit.”

Steve smiled fondly at Tony and held his gaze for what felt like minutes before he leaned forward and opened his mouth.

“Tony, I’m really happy you’re here. I can’t even begin to verbalize how wonderful it is to sit across from you and just... look at you.”

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

“Tony—”

“Okay so here’s the thing. I’m going to say some things and you’re going to listen. Okay? Good, good. So there’s a lot of directions this conversation can go. And there’s really only one acceptable avenue right now. I’m tired. I’m so, so tired Steve. I’m tired of pretending that I’m okay and that the world is carrying on business as usual while I feel like there’s this gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be.”

Steve’s stomach plummeted. He willed himself to look Tony in the eyes as he softly exhaled, “I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, no. That’s not...that’s not what this is about, or at least not in the way you’re thinking. Please just listen and shut your pretty mouth. I miss you. I miss you like a phantom limb. I need you, Steve. Everything is better... I’m better when you’re next to me. I know that there are things that happened that we’ll have to work through, but I don’t think there’s anything in the world, hell, in the universe that we can’t handle if we do it together. So, that’s the fork in the road that I’m hoping we can take today. I—Steve, I...”

Tony looked at him earnestly, eyes filled with determination, “I love you.”

Steve felt tears spill down his cheeks as he smiled so wide it made his cheeks ache. He reached up to cover his eyes, feeling especially vulnerable when he felt Tony move to kneel on the floor right in front of his legs. Tony leaned forward and took Steve’s hands in his and pulled them down to rest in his lap.

“Sweetheart, please don’t hide from me. I want to see it, you, all of you. I love you, all of you. The good, the not so good, the whole mess. You’re a _beautiful_ mess and I want to see everything. I want you to share it with me, to give all of yourself to me. Can—can you do that? I don’t want you to be anything other than yourself, but going forward we have to… we have to talk, we have to communicate. And honey? We’re both fucking terrible at the whole words passing back and forth in a meaningful, productive manner. We have to do better, but I think… I _know_ we can do it. Together.”

“Together?” Steve said wetly.

“Yeah, you heard that one before? It sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

“It does, it really really does. But... what if we mess up again? What if we lose?”

“Oh, we’re going to mess up. A lot. And if we lose? Well, we’ll just have to do that together too. But as long as we’re together, can we ever _really_ lose?”

“I think I could survive anything as long as you were by my side.”

“Yeah,” Tony said breathlessly, “Me too.”

Tony’s deep brown eyes were brimming with tears as Steve leaned down and touched their foreheads together. He brought a shaking hand up to cup Tony’s cheek as he brought their lips together for a soft and tearful kiss. Something shook loose inside Steve at the contact and he grabbed Tony’s waist with his other hand bringing their chests flush together as he deepened the kiss.

Tony pulled back abruptly, and before Steve could ask what was wrong Tony had climbed into his lap and straddled his thighs. Not missing a beat Steve was back on board with his hands around Tony’s waist while Tony tugged his hair and guided him back into a searing kiss.

* * *

Steve looked down at Tony curled against his side and ran his free hand through his hair. Tony made a happy humming noise and opened his eyes. Looking back into those warm brown eyes that held Steve’s entire world, he smiled sweetly and spoke so softly it was almost a whisper, “I love you.”

Tony’s eyes fluttered closed at Steve’s words and he breathed out a slow and shaky breath.

“You know,” Steve murmured as he continued to run his fingers through Tony’s hair, “this almost feels like a dream.”

“Oh? Do you dream about being in bed with me often?”

“No, that’s the thing. I know this is real because never in my wildest dreams would I have dared to think this could happen.”

“Honestly? Me neither. But, do you know how I know this isn’t a dream?

“I feel like I’m going to regret this but… how?”

“Even my most vivid fantasies—I mean dreams—never featured a bearded Steve. Honestly, if I could fire my own imagination for a lack of creativity, I would. I can’t believe the absolute negligence it has displayed by omitting this visage from my brain.”

“Well, isn’t having the real thing better?”

Tony reached up and scratched his fingers through Steve’s beard and hummed softly.

“Oh Steve, really getting to be with you, with or sans beard, is better than anything even my brain could have concocted.”

“I’ve always admired your humility, Tony.”

“Oh shut up, you love my cocky ass.”

Steve gave Tony a squeeze and said, “Yeah, I do.”

“And I,” Tony said, giving Steve a squeeze back, “love America’s ass.”

Steve tried to look stern but burst into laughter, “That was truly terrible.”

“You’re right, it’s now my property. Fuck off America, this ass is MINE!”

Steve sputtered and laughed even harder and Tony took the opportunity to climb on top of him and pepper his face with kisses. Wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist he squeezed hard enough that the other man yelped.

“This is a good look on you, Steve,” Tony said a little wistfully.

“The beard? I thought we had already established your beard kink.”

“No, I mean—yes. The beard is the most exquisite frame for my favorite masterpiece. I’m talking about your face.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“I meant happy. It’s a really good look on you.”

“It’s a good look on you too, sweetheart.”

Tony shuddered, “You are evil.”

“I am the picture of innocence,” Steve batted his eyelashes.

Tony rolled his eyes and pushed himself up so he could look down at Steve. Letting go of his waist, Steve ran his hands up Tony’s sides, making him shiver. Steve smiled up at Tony.

“You know, you kind of are right now, but I know what really lies beneath that angelic exterior.”

“A hellion?” Steve chuckled.

Tony smiled softly down at Steve and leaned down to place a tender kiss at the corner of his eye.

“No, a snarky, stubborn, strong, vulnerable, caring, empathetic, loyal, fierce, and stunningly beautiful... little shit.” Tony emphasized each word with a kiss to Steve’s temple, his cheek, his neck, his shoulder. “And fuck, I love you.”

Fin

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a getting-together fic, but [ircnshield](link%20to%20ao3) said she viewed it as getting BACK together. Honestly you can choose your own adventure, they are both valid and work contextually here.


End file.
